[SlyCoopers]

Foreword: Let this thread serve as a timeline diary of sorts. Depending how the project goes whether successful or not, someone in the future might look back and follow this and try something else another way which works that I might have overlooked at the time or have parts did not exist at the time of writing etc. Ill try to be somewhat technical yet casual so anyone could sort of follow and hopefully understand but Im not planning on this being overly technical in the first place as Im going in half blind and trying random things and reporting whats relevant and what stands out at times. Hence why some posts seem like part of the project is a fail but afterwards with some afterthought and further tweaking something can be made to work or another opportunity opens up etc.

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UPDATE: dec 4 2021

After what felt like a failure I consulted with metras technicians directly and discovered mazdas radio unit is in an entirely different place. The cmu aka the oem mazda screen is a computer box for basically relaying the entire cars data connections and sensors etc. the radio tuner box is actually tucked behind the glovebox on the right side which is wild. Connections purchased now work and will be beginning a mod to install a new radio and retain the mazda oem box to use for background functionality of car sensors and such. If you read through the thread now Im kind of dumb in presuming nothing was fitting where as it was my fault for being at the wrong location. Thread will continue at post #9

-----------------------------------
Original:


Well it took forever but I guess we are finally making progress with parts for our car. I didnt think we would get here but I found a random item today during my usual ebay spelunking.

NOTE: Im not affialiated with anything here, this is just me finding random stuff and being hyped and hopes it grows into something inthe future like the offroading threads lol.

The part number is Metra 107-MZ1B. This is the first thing Ive seen outside the chinese android headunit radios from aliexpress that is a kit for our cars.

The only issue I see so far is the size. This seems to be 'provisioned for pioneer units' and isnt as universal as a single/double din opening unit. Im curious is a single din unit can fit if the base is attached to the bottom of a screen unit.

Metra listing:

Metra Online

As the Installer’s Choice for dealer parts and car audio equipment, our team at Metra knows it is important to listen to our customers so that they keep listening with us.

metraonline.com

Also per metra site above the part numbers for harness and antenna:

• Wire Harness
  • 70-7903L
  • 70-7905
• Antenna Adapter
  • 40-HD10L

Crutchfield with pictures:

Metra 107-MZ1B Dash Kit (Gloss Black)

Install select shallow-mount double-DIN radios in 2016-20 Mazda CX-3 and 2017-19 Toyota Yaris vehicles

www.crutchfield.com

Install instructions:

Metra 107-MZ1B Dash Kit (Gloss Black)

Install select shallow-mount double-DIN radios in 2016-20 Mazda CX-3 and 2017-19 Toyota Yaris vehicles

www.crutchfield.com

Ebay:

DASH KIT FOR SELECT SHALLOW-MOUNT 2-DIN RADIOS IN 16-20 MAZDA CX3 / TOYOTA YARIS | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DASH KIT FOR SELECT SHALLOW-MOUNT 2-DIN RADIOS IN 16-20 MAZDA CX3 / TOYOTA YARIS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Posting this to hopefully start interest for this stuff in the future. If anything happens to my oem unit I am definitly jumping the gun on this and rigging up a joying single din 8" unit or something to it, but until then let this serve as a notice for parts availability.

 

[StrongTequila]

Well it took forever but I guess we are finally making progress with parts for our car. I didnt think we would get here but I found a random item today during my usual ebay spelunking.

NOTE: Im not affialiated with anything here, this is just me finding random stuff and being hyped and hopes it grows into something inthe future like the offroading threads lol.

The part number is Metra 107-MZ1B. This is the first thing Ive seen outside the chinese android headunit radios from aliexpress that is a kit for our cars.

The only issue I see so far is the size. This seems to be 'provisioned for pioneer units' and isnt as universal as a single/double din opening unit. Im curious is a single din unit can fit if the base is attached to the bottom of a screen unit.

Do I understand correctly. Pioneer dmh-c2500nex with this adapter can completely replace the head unit of mazda cx-3 2020? The settings functions will be preserved?

 

[SlyCoopers]

Edit: Skip to post #9 as the information here is incorrect and this was the wrong location for harnesses to plug into. Leaving original post up here for reference of parts if anyone needs in future
-----
Ok so after stopping trying to use random aliexpress parts Ive decided to pursue my own trial and error of rigging my own headunit to replace mazdas.

THIS IS STILL VERY EARLY PLANNING STAGES

I recieved the dash kit panel which will be used later after I build a rig to hold the new screen, and I also recieved the metra 70-7903L harness.

Come to find out that this harness does not fit. idk if its because I have the bose unit vs no amp or if its a difference between touchscreen vs non touchscreen radios but for my bose/touchscreen unit this did not fit. Irritating to say the least but After further looking into, it turns out the 70-7905 seems to match my connectors. Pics below for reference for those wanting to pursue similar work

The harness

The two large connectors in the rear of the unit box

The unfortunate moment realizing this part will not work at all lol

Looking further into the other harness shown here in pictures

Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi 70-7905 - Best Buy

Shop Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

Obviously this seems to be the correct one and now the challenge becomes trying to find one instock since ebay and amazon are out and other audio stores dont carry it seeing as almost noone is changing the headunit on our cars, but we will see what happens in the future.

Its also worth noting that the chinese aliexpress android units almost always have the red harness above in the pics. The reason I bought this is because many units claimed to be compatible with my version cx3 and offered a fully wired canbus included harness too however they all used this red connector which I feel better knowingg I wasted $20 rather than $400 for something that may not fit.

Radio connector coming in next week so we'll see how/if that fits now.

 

[StrongTequila]

Ok so after stopping trying to use random aliexpress parts Ive decided to pursue my own trial and error of rigging my own headunit to replace mazdas.

THIS IS STILL VERY EARLY PLANNING STAGES

I recieved the dash kit panel which will be used later after I build a rig to hold the new screen, and I also recieved the metra 70-7903L harness.

Come to find out that this harness does not fit. idk if its because I have the bose unit vs no amp or if its a difference between touchscreen vs non touchscreen radios but for my bose/touchscreen unit this did not fit. Irritating to say the least but After further looking into, it turns out the 70-7905 seems to match my connectors. Pics below for reference for those wanting to pursue similar work

The harness
View attachment 23939


The two large connectors in the rear of the unit box
View attachment 23940


The unfortunate moment realizing this part will not work at all lol
View attachment 23941



Looking further into the other harness shown here in pictures

Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi 70-7905 - Best Buy

Shop Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

Obviously this seems to be the correct one and now the challenge becomes trying to find one instock since ebay and amazon are out and other audio stores dont carry it seeing as almost noone is changing the headunit on our cars, but we will see what happens in the future.

Its also worth noting that the chinese aliexpress android units almost always have the red harness above in the pics. The reason I bought this is because many units claimed to be compatible with my version cx3 and offered a fully wired canbus included harness too however they all used this red connector which I feel better knowingg I wasted $20 rather than $400 for something that would not fit.

Radio connector coming in next week so we'll see how/if that fits now.

Ok so after stopping trying to use random aliexpress parts Ive decided to pursue my own trial and error of rigging my own headunit to replace mazdas.

THIS IS STILL VERY EARLY PLANNING STAGES

I recieved the dash kit panel which will be used later after I build a rig to hold the new screen, and I also recieved the metra 70-7903L harness.

Come to find out that this harness does not fit. idk if its because I have the bose unit vs no amp or if its a difference between touchscreen vs non touchscreen radios but for my bose/touchscreen unit this did not fit. Irritating to say the least but After further looking into, it turns out the 70-7905 seems to match my connectors. Pics below for reference for those wanting to pursue similar work

The harness
View attachment 23939


The two large connectors in the rear of the unit box
View attachment 23940


The unfortunate moment realizing this part will not work at all lol
View attachment 23941



Looking further into the other harness shown here in pictures

Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi 70-7905 - Best Buy

Shop Metra Speaker Harness for Select Mazda 2016 and Up Vehicles Multi at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

Obviously this seems to be the correct one and now the challenge becomes trying to find one instock since ebay and amazon are out and other audio stores dont carry it seeing as almost noone is changing the headunit on our cars, but we will see what happens in the future.

Its also worth noting that the chinese aliexpress android units almost always have the red harness above in the pics. The reason I bought this is because many units claimed to be compatible with my version cx3 and offered a fully wired canbus included harness too however they all used this red connector which I feel better knowingg I wasted $20 rather than $400 for something that would not fit.

Radio connector coming in next week so we'll see how/if that fits now.

Meanwhile, I have no longer needed to replace the head unit. I was able to configure the iPhone to simultaneously use the carplay with the original head unit and stream audio via bluetooth to an external DSP.

 

[StrongTequila]

Meanwhile, I have no longer needed to replace the head unit. I was able to configure the iPhone to simultaneously use the carplay with the original head unit and stream audio via bluetooth to an external DSP. So, i'm happy

 

[SlyCoopers]

Meanwhile, I have no longer needed to replace the head unit. I was able to configure the iPhone to simultaneously use the carplay with the original head unit and stream audio via bluetooth to an external DSP. So, i'm happy

good to hear, its a shame the replacement android os screen unit in the other thread wasent helpful in anyway besides as a screen replacement

 

[SlyCoopers]

Edit: Skip to post #9 as the information here is incorrect and this was the wrong location for harnesses to plug into. Leaving original post up here for reference of parts if anyone needs in future


--------------------------
Update on some more trial and error.

-the 40-HD10L radio antenna plug came in and it said it was for honda 05+ which was very suspicious and a sign of the rollercoaster of bs that came today. Metra swears the L version which literally stands for 'longer cable length' is for the mazda. Welp idk what it is suppose to connect to because nothing is similar to it.

Pic: gray is the harness and the blue plug is the closest looking thing to an antenna plug on the cx3 radio.

As you can see its nowhere near similar which sucks. However I decided on a little more trial and error.
This is the rear of the cx3 unit for reference

Starting from the left by my thumb,
-The white socket port powers the screen unit and shuts off if it is pulled so its safe to say power to the screen is one of its primary functions.
-The left most of the two gray slots (only one plug was in use) was for gps connectivity as removing it disabled my gps.
-The middle blue and white large sockets are what the other radio harness is going to be utilizing so these two command the primary functions and sound. I tested these two with everything else unplugged except the screen power plug by my thumb for obvious reasons. So the functionality here is soley representative of the mid two slots and the screen power. No gps antenna or what I presumed was the blue antenna port on the right. With just the middle blue and not the white plugged in the radio worked(am/ffm and XM advertisements) as did all steering wheel controls and command knob functionality. I did not test the function of usb since I dont use it but was strange hearing sound and such with a working radio and swc with just the middle blue plug. The only thing that didnt work was bluetooth audio, only when I then connected the white middle plug did bluetooth audio work.

So this is kind of strange and Im curious as to how this would translate to an aftermarket unit seeing as there is no formal radio connection port (that would be visible to an installer) also this would presume a separate relay system for bluetooth connection audio which makes less sense from a headunit perspective.

I will be picking up the correct radio harness nextweek so Ill see what happens then. Sadly the complexity of this makes me think there is not going to be much of a viable replacement for a full headunit swap other than just the wider screen units from aliexpress which retain all oem mazda connections and just swaps the screen.

Now that Im thinking about it the blue connector might be for the oem backup cam but ill find out later when I break it apart again for the harness connections.

EDIT : I found a wiring diagram for 3 of the rear plugs and will be comparing the connections to the newharness to makesure it even works properly since metra has been letting me down alot on this venture.
Also discovered that aftermarket radio antennas exist so that should be the best route since mazda's oem antenna seems heavily integrated. Mazda apparently uses the CMU to encode and decode signals to a different proprietary format from everything from radio to swc to inputs to car functions etc. The radio terminal connections for +,- in the oem harness seems built into the center two plugs as opposed to a separate plug making things more complex than it should be.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Welp it pains me to say this project is not going to happen. My order for the other harness came in earlier than anticipated so I picked it up today and just went to test fit connections. Turns out the curse continues

In the above pic the left and right most inner top row squares block the plug from connecting and also not to mention there width is wider so its not compatible.

In this one the plug also wont fit and the left and right set of flat connectors are not the same and even if the plug managed to fit, the flat connectors on the sides would plug into empty unused spaces seeing as only the inner colum of the outer 2 on each side is in use.

This is rather disappointing as none of these fit so I have to conclude its a no go for our us model. If you open your unit and have similar connectors DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM ALIEXPRESS promising to fit android radios with the custom command knob. No disrespect to aliexpress but none of those units will fit because they would use one of these two harnesses which as you can plainly see in above pics and in previous post, do not fit.

So thats a wrap for this project and im probably not going to be pursuing anymore radio hacks seeing as any splicing into the mazda harness is a recipie for disaster. The best you can do is probably intercept connections to the factory amp under the seat and work from there to improve audio as others have done but in any case radio swaps is a no no unless youre prepared to custom wire the new unit entirely and break off the oem mazda connections which is not recommended seeing as you will not be able to back.

Some bits of info for those interested:
wiring connections for harness pins at the cmu and including the amp can be found here:

Bose Terminal Layout and Signal Request

Does anyone have the CX-3, Bose Terminal Layout and Signal chart … equivalent to the CX-5 pdf, page 2, that the Anchorman recently posted over on mazdas247.com (CX-5, Infotainment section)? Possibly even the Anchorman himself? :-) I’m trying to install a supplemental, underseat subwoofer, and...

www.cx3forum.com

A unrelated mod attempt but screen replacement ive undertook with mixed results is here:

Aftermarket headunit attempt #1

tl;dr Screen replacement with built in os sideloaded, uses same mazda radio base unit. It works somewhat but may have been missing installation parts and was NOT the same as a full unit, you basically get the mazda system with the option to use android apps which is kinda hit or miss depending...

www.cx3forum.com

^ for the screen replacement thread, it does work since its intercepting the oem connection and retaining all oem cmu/headunit connections so eveything will run as expected with the addition of a side loaded system thats not really useful but thats another situation. Having undertaken this project here I must have gotten extremely lucky that my seller gave me the right connector to tap into which is wild considering nothing here fit so if you do the screen replacement TRIPLECHECK WITH THE SELLER WHAT CONNECTIONS THEY ARE USING. before I returned the unit there I underestimated the importance of the harness since i expected them all to just fit but mazda wants to be a PITA with proprietary connectors and signal decoders.

See ya around the next mod~

UPDATE: due to new information recieved from metra technicians the next post will continue the build/explanation

 

[SlyCoopers]

START FROM HERE - POST #9

So after consulting a metra tech from what I believed to be a total loss I was given new information that was not expected and also explains why the L version of the harnesses are needed.

It turns out the actual radio tuner head is behind the glovebox and to the right. No chance in hell I wouldve ever guessed but it makes sense seeing as the trial and error of the cmu connectors made no sense as to why things worked during certain instances while others were unplugged. This diagram also shows how complex the cx-3 is all wired to the cmu so removing it might not be a good idea. BUT if my plan goes well, I will be removing just the screen of the cmu and keeping the rest intact while wiring up a different screen there for an android radio and having the single/double din body in the glovebox itself.

The second i got this information I ran outside to test it out and lo and behold it does exist.

I see two plugs and the gray antenna adapter which I can confirm does infact work.
To get to the area you must remove the glovebox by opening it - pinching the ends and pulling it out. Then theres a bottom panel on the underside blocking you from getting to the radio box from below. There will be to clips to push back and the panel drops as shown.

The above pic is a view from below looking up at the box. Gray antenna plug on the right is a confirmed match to the number in the initial post. The two white plugs were a little peculiar as I thought it was going to be the double ended white harness but it did not fit. The red harness 70-7903L ,which many of the aliexpress chinese android units come with(?) is a perfect fit for the plug on the left with the blue wire attached to it as shown.

Ill be doing wiring and a test run with a old joying unit I have around to make sure things will work as intended in the upcoming days but Im glad this project finally made progress.

A big thankyou to metra techs for the guidance!

 

[SlyCoopers]

Harness wired and we have liftoff. Only bit of wiring info worth mentioning is that since I have the factory amp the entire thing wont work without having the amp connection hooked up for obvious reasons since it needs to be powered on and the antenna blue wire is a little trickier since theres a blue antenna connection on the radio harness and and the mazda harness end. Connect it to the radio end wire and it should work.

Pics of the test run:

Equalizer function works as does redistrubing sound to a certain zone which is the ideal test to make sure all speakers Front Left/ right/ etc have full power and connectivity.

This headunit much like many others has its own built in amp which allows you to tweak audio settings and theres even a 'loudness ON' setting to make everything more impactful in a good way and even tho this is a 4 yr old out of date headunit it sounds extremely better than mazdas oem.

The one issue I have seen is mazdas cmu viciously tries to connect with bluetooth. Even if you disconnect it itl send a request every 4 seconds even if you unpair it. I have a feeling the radio box had some effect in controling this functionality but since the harness is disconnect from the oem box, you cannot enter the media side of the original cx3 screen. Meaning you cant enter radio/bluetooth settings until you replug it in and then disconnect/unpair phones inside of the cmu and then reconnect the new headunit plugs.

Im not going to be using this headunit since its an older one with a lower quality screen and is running android 8m. I replaced this specific unit in our basic family car with one of the android 10 modern ones which is needed because of the bluelight filter setting in the system os that reduces the white washed out image but thats a personal preference. Next is going to be figuring out what to do about steering wheel controls and figuring out a mounting template so the screen can clamp onto. And for more obvious reasons this headunit isnt going to be used because of the double din size which takes up alot of space. A new single din unit will be used and thankfully they have all the same connections in the rear so its as simple as a box and screen swap.

 

[SlyCoopers]

The metra housing cover fits and even though it is specficially intented for a pioneer L shaped unit, some jbweld superglue and metal brackets will say otherwise. The downside is once I installed it, pulling it backout broke two of the rear clips which sucks because even if I glue the clips back on, it is not going to allow much freedom in testfitting and removing the housing. Shame the rear clips are so weak but we will deal with it when the time comes.

A preview of how the unit will look in the end :

Incase youre wondering how this will be achieved, they makes a extension cable for the screen so you can have the din box anywhere even under the seat and snake the cable anywhere you want the screen to be a rig a little flange to attach the screen mounting clips onto. The only reason I go with this brand is the flexibility of screen adjustments and the fact all of their models no matter how old or new have the same exact wiring harness which makes life ridiculously easy when upgrading in the future so you are not tied down to a single piece of hardware that gets outdated then have to repeat the wiring process all over again.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Update:
After sending wiring pics and pin schematics back and forth with their techs i think we might be onto a solution to retain with one or two (knob and wheel) controls for the new radio and also retain the oem backup cam. Still experimental but will see how the setup works when parts come in next week.

One thing i have noticed with the old screen/cmu removed is that you do lose door chime noises. Not sure if it also disabled the noise alert for blindspot monitoring but its a possibility. Im still 50/50 on whether having the old cmu core still in to "maintain" oem systems is a good idea or not because the pin schematics had some information related to telemetry/data collection which feeds my automotive/digital privacy fears so thats another situation there. Personal side note android auto/carplay itself is a privacy nightmare because not only do you get data mined beyond belief and pinpoint location tracked by google/apple but alot if not all modern oem units also piggyback on the internet connectivity to collect data and send to manufacturer servers for "diagnosis and improving products" or whatever line they wanna use to avoid bad pr, hence why offline standalone android headunits are more ideal to remedy this in my opinion.See ya in the next update

 

[SlyCoopers]

Steering wheel control + reverse cam retaining update:
The swc harness and axxess interface axswc Items arrived and its not going to well. It might have been a little too ambitious to try to retain both and was unforunatly disappointed as a result. The axxess box is recognizing two sets of button groupings, which get tied to key1 and key2 wires as wanted.
The first set is:
-Volume +
-Volume -
-Voice (the voice command button some cx-3s have under the volume on the steering wheel.)
All 3 of these are individually identified and can be assigned on the headunit to whatever command wanted.

The 2nd set of groupings is
-Next track
-Previous track
-Call answer
-Call hangup
The problem is here that the axxess box seems to group all of these buttons to the same functionality, meaning no matter what you set 'next' to, it will be overridden by any of the following keys in the group and setting one sets all of them the same so its like you have only one button that can be pressed 4 different ways. To make things even weirder sometimes even the track next or previous will trigger a volume up command which shouldnt even be a thing. And for those installer savvy individuals yes I manually programmed the axxess interface box also to see if it did anything different since maybe auto detect failed, and the same result occurred.

Really awkward to use in this state and will be better off buying one of the cup knob controls from a random chinese seller that connect to either key1 or key2 and use a wireless radio frequency reciever to talk to the cup knob thats powered by 2 double a batteries. It sounds kinda bootlegged but it lasts years as my other car has been the test subject for last few years with those aftermarket parts.

Its worth noting that the steering wheel control harness and box plugged into the oem mazda harness only communicate with the actual steering wheel buttons on the left side and not the knob in the middle.

Regarding the camera retainer connections, idk whats going on there as it never had any connectivity or response. It is built into the swc harness and is not working as planned, I will try later if removing the 6 - 12v adapter does anything since that could be whats underpowering it(??) or it could be a completely incorrectly mapped pin connection in the harness which I am suspicious of depending if I know how to read a oem mazda diagram from the right pov. Its a little too optimistic to retain both of these perfectly but at least swc and cameras both have plenty of proven aftermarket support to function. I will continue the headunit install project after newyears most likely as this week and the next I will try to get ahold of the company to see if we can figure out a solution to this or if not at least delist the parts as supposedly working for the cx-3.

Happy new years in advance if Im not back by then!

 

[SlyCoopers]

CAMERA UPDATE
I was irritated that the reverse camera connections did nothing which made me wonder if something was off. I took a voltmeter and found that power was being supplied as it should be but it was always supplied. Everything was wired to specifications which made me curious as to why this was a thing. Basically in the wiring process you are made to use a 12(?) to 6v converter little component as such

and it is supposed to supply power to the camera which in turn sends a signal to the yellow cam out plug to connect to the headunit. My headunit also has a video in yellow plug buried under everything in the back so I connected the camera connection there and behold

So the connections are working but not in the intended purpose. Further trouble shooting lead me to discover the 'back' wire on the headunit is what needs power to trigger the units camera view to turn on. By camera view I mean the headunits protocol for utilizing the camera display, meaning itl show a black screen if the actual camera plug is not connected . I found this out by running a jumper wire from ACC power to the back wire

You can see two sets of yellow lines now in the camera view, the oem mazda big square and the headunits smaller inner square(which can be disabled) meaning this is the view which should be utilized for the reverse camera to work.

So the problem I have now is the nature of the of this setup. Usually aftermarket headunits require aftermarket cameras which have their own connections to use to access the 'back' wire while also tapping into the rear tailight for power. The other issue here is that the camera is always on given the current instructed wiring to the point the 12-6v converter gets extremely hot after like 5min or so which could pose a danger if youre driving for an hour+ and the unit is just going balls to the wall powering the camera and converter nonstop.

Possible solution is to disconnect the constant acc power to the camera wiring, utilize a switch to connect both the back wire and camera power to acc so when you flip the switch on the camera turns on and also the unit goes into rear view mode. Idk how I feel about this because its rather too much work for quick reversing, K turns etc and now you add on the extra work of managing a switch in the middle of driving.
The other more bootlegged way is to utilize the reverse lights to send power to the camera and Back wire (this might be better off with a relay since reverse light wiring may be strained to power everything assuming it even outputs regular voltage and not reduced). The problem here is that I mean at this point its not worth trying to salvage the rear oem camera if youre still doing the whole wiring through the internals of the car to the reverse light etc. You might be better off buying one of those AHD cameras which most modern android headunits support and give much more higher quality rear picture than the oem and regular aftermarket reverse cams.

So with the idea of the oem reverse cam out and a not fully functioning steering wheel control, I think its back to the original aftermarket setup used for basic vehicles where it might be better to rig your own setup of aftermarket rear view cameras and swc controls.

 

[SlyCoopers]

FINAL STEERING WHEEL CONTROL UPDATE: We got something to work!
Note: its worth mentioning the aswc-1 and axswc is basically the same part just renamed as I had trouble trying to figure out which was the difference between them so either one should work according to my communications with the company.


ok so after further troubleshooting and back and forth with metra techs one process worked to change how the radio was recieving the signals. Prior to this I used the windows program on their site to try to reconfigure the axswc interface to a different radio protocol as the unit would auto learn itself and default to sony-dual and this functionality would break the button recognition as I noted before a few posts ago. Changing it through the windows program would still cause the device to either reinitiate auto learn and then default back or just break absolutely all communications requiring resetting through the program again. I even tried an internal custom auto assigning where it will cycle through a list of commands and you can assign which is vol up down seek etc but this did nothing as the radio protocol was the defining issue.

In the sony-dual radio protocol that the device defaults to, the differences between the button pulses is extremely tiny to the point the margin of error that headunits use would recognize the multiple buttons as the same command. Then afterwards the tech gave me this manual programming pdf to change the radio type while its connected and thankfully it stuck as opposed to using the windows app which didnt stay in the radio type.

Now Im not sure if it defaults back to the first listing when doing the radio selection process or if it goes to the next so doing the process once either puts me on (1) eclipse Type 1 OR (5) JVC. See diagram below for reference. Regardless after doing it once the headunit recognized the volume +, vol -, seek + and seek - buttons perfectly and were assigned with zero inteference or cross commands. Strange enough the voice and call buttons didnt read but I wont be using them so for me this is enough for now. There is a chance that going further down the list might result in all of the buttons being readable but I might just use key2 wire for a separate standalone aftermarket swc command device.



Link to radio changing pdf provided by technician and granted permission to repost to forums so others can use:

https://metra-static.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/ASWC-1_Changing_Radio_Type.pdf

REGARDING THE OEM CAMERA WIRING RETAINER
The intended function of the harness is to keep the oem backup camera as always on and through custom wiring can it be user toggleable. Apparently this is to accomodate other features in cars which have that weird birds eye top down view where you can see "360 degrees" around the car which i dont think any mazda cx-3 even has except maybe the final year if even that. This 360 view feature in alot of cars is usually able to be toggled on with the press of a button and is not exclusively tied to reverse shift so this might be where the idea came from. I can confirm that technicians they did say that a manual reverse signal wire was needed so like it or not you would still be running a wire from the reverse camera to toggle the view to the radio. I wish they had listed this in the instructions as a requirement as the harness makes it seem like it is all plug and play with no outside hack wiring. I might just run a aftermarket AHD camera and cap off the oem camera wires off of the harness to make sure its not always on and draining power / overheading the 12-6v converter.



So there we have it for now. Radio plugs and wires that work, oem camera that is retained somewhat, steering wheel control retention that is usable. Now only thing left is to go full force into rigging a mount for the screen which can wait for a while but Im glad we have a confirmed path so far for everything that works to this point.

Note: the steeringwheel control radio protocol situation is sort of exclusive to my joying unit, obviously if you use a pioneer unit or any of the listed radios then it should be recognizing it much much better. My issue primarily stemmed from the fact that joying and basically every other chinese android radio unit isnt really a predefined standard that someone could build and program for since every maker tweaks it a bit but it works enough to be usable for now.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Parts used for steering wheel control and axxess interface. Type these in on ebay and something should come up

• Axxess AXSWC Universal OEM Steering Wheel Control Interface Module

Axxess AXSWC Universal OEM Steering Wheel Control Interface Module | eBay

Product SKU: 193393 ID: axswc. Axxess AXSWC. Retains settings even after battery disconnection or interface removal. Car Security & Safety. Car Audio & Video. General Features All connections done at the radio location.

www.ebay.com

• Axxess AXBUCS-MZ286V Mazda 2014-Up SWC & Camera Retention with AXCSD-6V 12-volt

Axxess AXBUCS-MZ286V Mazda 2014-Up SWC & Camera Retention with AXCSD-6V 12-volt 86429384419 | eBay

Axxess AXBUCS-MZ286V Mazda 2014-Up SWC & Camera Retention with AXCSD-6V 12-volt.

www.ebay.com

Links above are not what I specifically purchased, or maybe it is idk, I just linked the first thing that came up when searching for terms for reference.Buy what works at the best price just make sure the axxess box is new and not used/possibly damaged.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Progress update:

Lighting is terrible because its dark with light glare and camera over exposed terribly but were making some progress. Still have to tweak launcher and fix a gps connection module, The body of the headunit is entirely on the floor of the passenger seat thanks to a 1 meter cable extension for the screen but its looking pretty nice and is modular for future headunit upgrades. Still got work alot of cleanup and hiding work to do. In the meantime I managed to run a wire from the rear tailight and retain oem backup camera for the reverse trigger as this seemed to be much simpler than overloading the extremely thin oem reverse light wire with a power load for an aftermarket backup cam and helps cut down on wiring through the car. Will update whenever I get some more work done and the world stops feeling ice cold even in the garage. Side note this is their 8" headunit and I installed nova launcher over their oem launcher. Anything bigger than 8" is questionable fit. The 10.5 screen from my other car wouldnt fit because of the mounting points in the rear I had to frankenstein together with super glue in a metal bracket, would not fit the height of where the bottom mounting point would successfully connect and also have clearance for the screen data plug. The 9" might fit but they didnt have any in stock that was this newer model screen so I went for the 8" as a safe guarantee fit.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Bonus pics:

Original screen cable vs newly installed extension cable lol pretty long reach from the box helps.

To swap cables, front panel is held by two screws on left and right side of the box and comes right out and then you undo the side latches of the connector and replace.

GPS module attached to top of box since has magnetic base and I always did this on my installs out of sheer laziness and somehow its always worked out regardless so it became a bad habit but cuts down on loose wiring.

The second most cursed part of this job was the reverse trigger wiring. In our cars as you can imagine the reverse light is within the hatch so while there is a convenient panel on the inner side of the hatch/trunk, the issue with a clean wiring job is snaking it behind the trip to the top of the hatch then leaving enough slack to overhang and then go down the side of the seat. You need the overhang slack between the hatch top and inner side of the car to accomodate for the opening and closing of the trunk. Theres no way to do this clean but you can try to minimize obvious wire hanging by moving it as close to the top right (or left) corner as possible depending which side you use for the reverse trigger. Its easier to go from the right side (passenger side) light since most of the headunit wiring is through the passenger side. But the picture here shows which wire to tap into. Dont leave it like as you see as this was just a test but you need to at least tape or solder(way more permanent and riskier) so it doesnt come loose/slide off.

And finally the most truly cursed part is the diy bracket for the screen. The reason this took me so long is because I didnt want to jb weld it so I used super glue which then didnt seem like it was good enough. Then I came across an 'epoxy stick' where youre suppose to knead it together and it hardens into a rock solid epoxy like substance which was a lie and smells like garbage and is still soft so I let that sit and air out for weeks and still didnt harden so I scraped as much off as I could and then used more super glue. its completely atrocious and will be replaced in the future for sure but it holds the screen for now. This is the part where this entire install will depend on you and should be the deciding factor if you even want to pursue this type of mod in the first place. It cost about $5(?) in home depot metal bar strips and just traced the points of the screen mounts onto it, drilled holes for the clips, and then glued the clip holder on the inner side. Then when attaching to the main trim piece, I glued L brackets used for small woodwork onto the plastic and the metal base frame I diy'ed earlier. It really looks bad because of the failed epoxy stick which weakened alot and then wouldnt come off entirely resulting in an overload of superglue needed to compensate for the mess. On the brightside its all on the inside of the tirm piece and isnt visible so thats something lol.

 

[Dunolde]

I originally posted about the OEM radio being pretty staticy (staticky ...?) but over time I have come to realize it's not static, but rather the OEM radio's inability
to get hold of a radio signal and keep it separate from other nearby signals. I'm not sure what the correct radio terminology for this is, but
I think it is "discrimination" or "signal isolation", or something like that, which makes a good radio able to play a station while squelching nearby weaker, or even stronger stations.
Bottom line, I want to replace the OEM with something better, (suggestions re. brands/models) but reading through your post on replacing yours (I am not interested in replacing the monitor at all...)
and, well, being mechanically and electrically challenged, as I am, I do not believe I could accomplish it without seriously screwing things up!!
Any advice, besides leaving it to a professional shop?
Thanks!

 

[SlyCoopers]

I originally posted about the OEM radio being pretty staticy (staticky ...?) but over time I have come to realize it's not static, but rather the OEM radio's inability
to get hold of a radio signal and keep it separate from other nearby signals. I'm not sure what the correct radio terminology for this is, but
I think it is "discrimination" or "signal isolation", or something like that, which makes a good radio able to play a station while squelching nearby weaker, or even stronger stations.
Bottom line, I want to replace the OEM with something better, (suggestions re. brands/models) but reading through your post on replacing yours (I am not interested in replacing the monitor at all...)
and, well, being mechanically and electrically challenged, as I am, I do not believe I could accomplish it without seriously screwing things up!!
Any advice, besides leaving it to a professional shop?
Thanks!

This is going to be a hard recommendation as the cx-3 is not intended to be easily or initially even possible to replace the radio so sadly theres no simple way around it. The only thing i can somewhat suggest is the android radios with their own controller knob. Mainly because it comes with its own programmable controller knob and you arent left with nothing at all as when doing a radio replacement itself that loses all oem. The problem will come back to the reverse camera situation. There is no accomodation for a reverse camera trigger even if you use the adapter, it still needs to have the wire from the tailight to tell it to 'turn on the view for reverse' and to turn off the view when shifted out of reverse.So there will need to be a manner of customization there for the camera if you do anything that doesnt keep the oem box (such as replace the monitor only).

If you want to look further into it this is the style type radio I was referring to

372.91US $ 50% OFF|Carplay PX6 Car DVD Player DSP 10.25" IPS Android 10 8G + 128GB GPS RDS Radio wifi Bluetooth 5.0 For MAZDA 2 CX 3 CX3 2015 2021|Car Multimedia Player| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Im not saying to buy this specifically since I dont know the quality or durability of this brand but this is what you are looking for in terms of simplicity because it should be plug and play for the most part after you remove the oem unit. I havent tried it yet so cant confirm but its easiest in terms of not needing to diy a controller set to replace the oem knob near the cup holders.


Here is another one but was always pricier and has a weird ui in my opinion.

Belsee Best Aftermarket 10.25 inch IPS Touch Screen Android 11 Auto Head Unit Stereo Upgrade for Mazda 2 Demio CX-3 / Toyota Yaris 2014-2021 GPS Navigation Audio System Car Radio Replacement DSP Ram 8GB Rom 128GB Wireless Apple CarPlay Multimedia Player

• SKU: PM18. Built-in Android 11 system special autoradio for Mazda 2 Demio CX-3 / Toyota Yaris 2014-2022 • CPU: MT8667, CA75x2 (2.0GHz)+CA55x6 (1.8GHz) RAM: SAMSUNG 8GB DDR3, Nand Flash : 128GB. • Built-in 4G LTE Sim card Slot for 4G • Easyconnect mirroring for android phone and iPhone...

www.belsee.com

Another thing to keep in mind is to verify your model year with what knob youre buying. 2018(?) i think is when there changed the knob unit from a long piece to a more square shape so thats another thing to look out for.